Australian golfer Hend to play in Mauritius Open

Australian golfer Scott Hend will be among the star names at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open to be held from May 12 to 15, it was announced on Monday.

Hend, one of the most successful international players on the Asian Tour, will be joined by Chiragh Kumar of India, Danthai Boonma of Thailand and Singaporean veteran Mardan Mamat at the Four Seasons Golf Club Mauritius at Anahita.

"I am excited to play at the Mauritius Open again. Mauritius is one of the most beautiful places that I have visited. I enjoyed the challenging course last year and I am looking forward to playing the course at Four Seasons Golf Club Mauritius," the 42-year-old Hend said in an Asian Tour release.

Hend will be aiming to improve on his tied fifth result last year as he hopes to break into the top-50 on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). Hend, who won his eighth Asian Tour title in Thailand in March, is currently ranked 85th in the world.

"Winning in Thailand last month was great and I would love to try and kick on now and get another win," said the big-hitting Hend.

Ryan Dodds, chairman of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open Organising Committee, said: "We look forward to Hend returning as one of our headline players at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.

"He put on a great performance last year and he is playing great golf currently. We have no doubt that he will be one of the top players to watch next month."